One thing that we know about the NFL draft and it’s process is that there are no such thing as sure things. The prospects who will make the transition from the college game to life in the pros all do so collectively and together and the end result for NFL franchises often sees challenges rise and players sometimes fold under the pressure of expectations.
For the Miami Dolphins’ 2021 NFL draft class? Living up to expectations will still be a challenge, but it isn’t likely to be talent or skill that causes the commotion.
The Miami Dolphins left the 1st-round of the 2021 NFL draft with Alabama wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and Miami pass rusher Jaelan Phillips — two uber talented players who have all the needed physical skills to be standouts and impact players for the Dolphins. But these are two of the top players from this year’s class to have experienced injury hardships — proving Chris Grier once again willing and able of making major decisions and not letting medical question marks prevent him from pulling the trigger on talent.
Remember in 2020 when Grier drafted Tua Tagovailoa with a top-5 selection despite the questions about his hip and ability to play at a high level ever again? This year’s top of the draft isn’t quite as risky as that — but it is absolutely something to note.
Jaylen Waddle missed the majority of the 2020 season with a broken leg — but he was able to outproduce DeVonta Smith in the first four games of Alabama’s season. The next time we saw Waddle, it was in the National Championship game. Waddle wasn’t fully healthy, but his blinding speed was still apparent and the Dolphins clearly felt his speed would be back in no time at all for 2021.
Jaelan Phillips, on the other hand, was forced to retire from football at UCLA at one point due to concussions — but then transferred to Miami and restarted his football career with the Hurricanes. The end result of that effort was one of the 2020 draft’s most brilliant individual efforts on tape. And Phillips becoming a Miami Dolphin.
Risk is a part of the game. But Chris Grier entered his third NFL draft as the unquestioned leader of the Dolphins and decided to swing for the fences.